News 

• March 2025, we are thrilled to see Zach was accepted into SULI summer program hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory! 🥳

• February 2025, we are very excited to see one of PI's postdoc work has been published by Advanced Functional Materials! In this study, we explored how the molecular packing of conjugated liquid crystals affects ion transport using X-ray scattering, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. 

If you’re interested in ion transport mechanisms, feel free to check it out using the link:

     https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202423541?af=R

• January 2025, we are very excited to see one of PI's postdoc work has been published by Nature Communications! In this study, we explored how water structure, water dynamics, and ion solvation influence ion transport in an anion exchange membrane, using 2D IR spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the transition to the faster transport mechanism occurs when the reorientation of water molecules in the second solvation shell is fast, allowing a robust hydrogen bond network to form.

If you’re interested in ion transport mechanisms, feel free to check it out using the link:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55621-z

• August 2024, We are thrilled to share that we have been selected as one of the three 2024-2025 ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship receipts. We will be synthesizing new ionomers to advance the development of fuel cell technology! 🧪

• July 2024, our summer research student, Charity Smith from Fort Valley State University, won 3rd place in the poster competition among all the summer research students in the Chemical & Biological Engineering and Chemistry Departments! She also delivered a great oral presentation to her cohort and faculty members. Congratulations, Charity! 👏 

• July 2024, UA College of Engineering has highlighted our IGNIITE research project! Thank you! News can be found here. 🚢⚡